The last time I ordered a pizza, I got a call about 45 minutes later. The deliveryman said he was a couple of blocks away from my house and wanted to make sure where I lived. While I was explaining the directions to him, all went silent. I wasn’t sure if he was on the line or if it was a dropped call. Then he said, “I’m so sorry, but I just saw the most beautiful thing, I just saw like ten deer.”

“Wow! that’s great,” I said. “We have a lot of deer back here.”

“But I’ve never been where you live. It’s so beautiful.”

His words gave me pause. “Well, the deer are beautiful, but you have to be careful driving back here.”

“They were just so amazing!” He was almost breathless. “I’ll be there in a moment,” he added, as if we were old friends.

What a grateful person, I thought to take so much pleasure in seeing deer. I was almost speechless, witnessing his amazement.

When I saw his car out the window, I already liked him. And before he saw me open the door, he liked me. So when we both got to the door, we stood there smiling at each other. He was all of nineteen or twenty, with short-cropped blond hair and a kind face. He was past the age of innocence, but seemingly still innocent, and looking at him, I wished for him a trip to someplace filled with natural beauty.

“There was a deer right there, too. By your window, when I came up the path.” He was still in a state of wonder.

“They do come right up to the front windows, sometimes,” I said. “Sometimes in the morning, I open a shade there’s a deer right there.”

I thanked him for the pizza, gave him a tip and said, “I hope you see some more deer.”

Later that night, after dinner, dishes and laundry, I picked up my phone. There was a text that said, “ You are one of the most beautiful and nicest people I’ve ever had the honor of delivering a pizza to. Thank you very much. I hope nothing bad ever happens to you.”

I sat at my desk chair delighted. It’s just amazing what can happen in five minutes when you connect with someone.